


Western War

by TotallyxAwesome



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 12:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2547830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TotallyxAwesome/pseuds/TotallyxAwesome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's 1831 and the little village 'Western' is close to being in war. Kurt and his family own an 'Inn', but what happens when a mysterious soldier has to hide there for a while?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Western War: Chapter 1**

* * *

 

It was late May, 1831. The trees being their greenest, their leaves softly swishing in the soft spring breeze. The flowers not as beautifully colored as in the beginning of spring, but the air still full of their freshening smell. The sun shining brightly, sending waves of heat and light over the already dry land. The birds chirping happily, defending their nests or trying to attract their interest. The other animals sheltered from the heat, standing in the shadows of the trees and bushes.

The villagers of Western were either hiding from the extreme warmth, that had been torturing their village for over a month by now, or they were busy working. They tried to keep their shops open, tried to keep the land from drying out and tried to keep the cattle healthy enough to produce products or meat.

Even though everyone in the village was aware of the war going on nearby, no one would speak about it. They just didn't have the time to worry about it since their lives were already busy as it was. Some of them also liked to believe they were save since there was a big army on the case, but what they didn't know, or didn't want to know maybe, was that no one was winning this war anytime soon.

Only when the heat hit its highest, the residents of Western would, wisely, stay inside. Though, even then you could always find a few exceptions, wandering around, trying to keep their busy lives going. Somewhere on the east side of the village stood a big, white, wooden house surrounded by wide fields, that had now turned yellow from the extreme heat.

The house was inhabited by the Hummels, a man in his late fourties with his wife, son and step-son. Almost no one could afford a big house like that, especially not in those times. That's why Burt, the man who owned the house then, had offered to let it be used as a rest stop for people on their way to a far away journey. You could sort of call it a hotel, but that's not exactly what it was. It was a normal family house, the only difference was the extra empty guest rooms and a second living room, mostly for the guests.

The outside of the house was simple yet hard not to love, it had a huge veranda which was covered by a roof, which was attached to the actual roof of the house itself. It was three stories high, the third one being the attic. The roof itself was a warm, friendly brown color, not too dark but not too light for liking either. The house was surrounded by the big fields that were normally green, high grass everywhere, well except for the worn out path that led to the village, trees occasionally rooting up from the ground. About 1600 feet from the house was a big, round, glistening lake, it was easy to be spotted from the house and lovely to swim, or wash in when it was very hot outside.

Not that far from the house was a big forest, the forest through which most of its travelers disappeared. The forest was a dangerous place for one who did not connect with nature, the woods were big and one did not want to get lost in there. At night the roads to the house were rather dangerous, the house was cut off from other parts of the village. It couldn't be spotted from the village, and it was well hidden because it was somewhat higher than the rest of the village. It actually wasn't that far away, but still far away enough to let one wander, lost and no idea of right directions.

On the second floor of the house, the furthest down the long corridor was a room. That was the room of one particular Kurt Hummel, the actual son of Burt Hummel, the owner of the house.

Kurt was laying on his bed, flopped over on his stomach and absently wandering his eyes over the familiar pages he had read so many times. There wasn't exactly much to do when there was an economic crisis going on and the heat being so intense, outside one would immediately catch on fire.

There weren't many places in the village where you could buy books. There was one little shop called 'Old lilly's bookshop', it was Kurt's favorite store in all of Western. He would often go there to read or see if any new books had arrived. It wasn't often that there actually were new books, the most recent one Kurt had bought, with money he earned working around the house, was The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It was his favorite book so far, next to Indiana, the book he had read so many times.

He was humming softly when he heard heavy footsteps coming closer, nearing his room, but turning away a few feet in front of it. Probably another one of their guests, Kurt thought. Kurt didn't really mind the other guests now, of course it had annoyed him in the beginning. There had been strangers wandering around his house, using their shower, eating their food and sleeping in their rooms. Sometimes the guests would bring their partners, or just someone they had picked up at the bar and take them back to the house. The walls weren't exactly thick, so you could easily here what was going on in there, not that it was hard to guess.

It was those nights that Kurt really hated living with the strangers, he would try to cover up his ears with his pillow, scolding under his breath and hoping they would finish their business soon and just go to sleep.

But even though it was horrible, it wasn't that part which made him feel the worst. No, the hardest part was that sometimes if the guests actually did bring their partner, just the way they sat together at the breakfast table, looking at each other like there was no one else in the room, feeding each other fruit, sharing small smiles and leaning into each other, that was what hit him the hardest.

Because it was those times that reminded Kurt he could never have that, that he would never be able to act like that. It wasn't as if he was ugly, well he didn't like to think so. It was a lot more.. complicated than that.

When Kurt was 12 he saw that the boys at his school were starting to like girls, some later than others, but eventually they all did. Kurt always thought he just hadn't found the right girl yet, or that it took longer for him, but when those boys turned 15 and started to get girlfriends he still hadn't found one single girl he liked. Well there was one girl, Britanny, he liked her, but no matter how hard he tried, it was only in a friendly way.

But because every other boy around him started dating girls, he did so too. After three months they broke up, Kurt found out that she liked another boy and had been sleeping with him behind his back, which gave him a perfectly plausible reason to break up with her. He really didn't mind when they broke up, he was actually kind of relieved. Everything stayed the same until the new school year started and a boy named Finn sat next to him during class. Kurt didn't have a lot of friends, well he still had Britanny, they had remained friends, and of course there was Austin, his best friend. But most of the guys avoided him, Kurt didn't know why, well not at first.

Then they had started calling him names, laughing at him when his voice squeaked when he was nervous and 'accidentally' shoving him. Finn had always been nice to him, maybe a little more distant when he found out how the others treated Kurt, but he never joined them. Kurt always denied the fact that he had once, had a crush on Finn and as a way to get closer to him he had introduced their parents to each other. It didn't turn out the way he wanted to anyway, because Finn got himself a girlfriend, a rather obnoxious one, and their parents still got married.

It was absolutely terrifying when Kurt found out that he liked Finn. At first he had told himself he just liked Finn as a friend, and he felt that way because Finn didn't make fun of him. But when one night he actually dreamed about kissing a boy, presumably Finn, and _liking_  it, he was really starting to get worried. Suddenly all the name calling, shoving and laughing seemed to make sense to him. It's not that he hadn't understand what they were saying, it was just that he thought they were wrong, well that was, until Finn showed up.

It had been very hard at first and he had locked himself away, crying in his room, trying to make it go away. He had tried so hard to put his feelings away. Nights of endless praying, weeks of trying to like girls and the never ending thoughts of what he had to do if he couldn't stop it. But finally, after a few months he got so tired of fighting himself that he had just admitted it to himself, he was a homosexual. At first that only made things harder, a huge weight was released of his shoulders but replaced with a new one, fear.

He never told anyone but Britanny, she had smiled and him and told him she didn't mind and she was glad to have a reason why he didn't enjoy being physically close to her. Britanny wasn't very smart and didn't understand a lot, but she was the only support Kurt had. She was very sweet to him and promised she wouldn't tell anyone, she had even told him one day his gay prince would come rescue him from this town, he had laughed at that.

One day a guest arrived and had, apparently, immediately noticed that Kurt was gay. Instead of yelling at him he was nice and interested. That night he came to Kurt's bedroom and had told him to follow. It hadn't been pretty and Kurt almost lost his virginity, he still refused to talk about it to anyone.

One day that happened again, but a little different. The guy, Sebastian, had stayed there for two weeks. He didn't avoid Kurt, he was actually being overly nice and as far as Kurt could tell he had been _flirting_  with him! First it stuck to secretly flirting but after a while they started fooling around. Kurt was still afraid of what had happened the last time but Sebastian got angry that he didn't put out, so they got in a fight, leaving Kurt naked with some bruises and a sprained wrist. It turned out that Sebastian hadn't been looking for a relationship like Kurt had hoped, he was just one of those guys who wanted to 'have fun' with other guys, without attaching himself to them.

Since then Kurt had never talked to any of the guests anymore, only if he was asked to do so. Besides, some of the guests chose to ignore him themselves, but he didn't mind.

"Kurt!" Kurt looked up, having totally forgotten he had promised to help out with the dinner tonight. They were expecting a few more guests so his step mom had asked him to help her cook, which he loved to do so he didn't mind. He and Carole got along very well, he still couldn't call her mom, which she was okay with, but he did like having her around. Sometimes they spent time together in the kitchen, baking, or in the yard, when it wasn't as dry as it was now they would spent their afternoon gardening. Kurt's real mom had taught him how to play the piano and Carole loved to listen to him play. Once he had tried to teach her but it turned out Finn didn't get all of his clumsiness from his real father.

Kurt walked downstairs, trying not to pay attention to a man who was glaring angrily at him. "Kurt, sweetheart, if you could start with the potatoes" she smiled sweetly at him. He nodded at her and started peeling the potatoes as she started marinating the meat."

Everything was rather expensive around that time, but the Hummels didn't ever come too short on money. The travelers who stayed there paid them money and because they offered their house as a place to stay they didn't have to pay rent. Next to the kitchen was an open area, a big wooden table with wooden chairs around it stood in the middle of it. The table had twelve wooden chairs around it, to be exact. Because travelers wouldn't normally stay long and wouldn't always be there, there was no separate dining room. Also the extra room that could have been a separate dining room was now the guest's living room. They had dinner with their guests every evening. Breakfast would usually be separated since almost everyone needed to get up at different times. Almost none of the guests had lunch at the house, unless there was no other option.

When they had finished making dinner and set the table, Carole called everyone downstairs. Currently there were four people staying in the house, three men and one woman. The three men were much alike, all around their mid-thirties, muscular and two of them were bald, the third man had dark blond hair, which was continually falling in front of his eyes. Just as Kurt had expected none of them had table manners, they were attacking their food like animals shredding their prey.

Not that Finn and his dad were much different, no their table manners were just as bad. Kurt and Carole tried to remind them if there were no guests around, in case they ate in the same, animalistic, way, just like now. Kurt sighed, once he would be old enough and had enough money he was so out of here. Kurt really appreciated the quiet around here and the peace but he would never be able to live this small. Not that the house was small, no not at all, it was that he wanted more of life. Like performing, he had always loved playing the piano and singing, even though he never told anyone at school, not that they would've cared, they would probably just make fun of him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as one of the men burped loudly, once again, animalistic manners. Then he started talking with his mouth full. "This is rea'y go' " he said while pointing down at his plate and shoving another piece of meat into his mouth, Kurt winced at the sight. "Thank you" Carole smiled brightly, obviously used to the terrible manners. "Although I must say, Kurt did a great job with the potatoes" she smiled at him. It was obviously a nice gesture but Kurt felt himself flush as the big, muscular man turned his way, looking mildly surprised. "You like cooking, kid?" he asked, a piece of potato flying out of his mouth. Kurt cringed, he tried to keep his voice low as he spoke. "Yea, I guess so" "What a catch," the man said, winking, and obviously joking.

The other man laughed, snorting loudly. Kurt felt himself turn even more red and tried to occupy himself with shoving around the vegetables on his plate. The man started to chatter loudly, Burt and Finn occasionally asking questions. After dinner the man went to sit in the guest-living room with Burt and Finn while Carole went to do the dishes, Kurt decided to help her.

"Thanks, sweetie" she said as she noticed me picking up a towel. "You know, there are some new guests arriving next week. Or at least one, I think." "Great," she laughed at my sarcasm. "Maybe next time there will be a cute girl arriving," she said hinting and nudging my shoulder. I tried to stay relaxed, "Yea, I bet that there will be a really cute girl between those sweaty, gross looking animals, Carole." He didn't say it in a mean way, more in a joking way. She snorted, "well you never know." "You got that right," he muttered softly. "what?" she asked, not stopping with washing the plate. "Oh, nothing. Just tired," I smiled at her.

"That reminds me, are you going to the party in three weeks?" Kurt stiffened, some people from his class were throwing a party in three weeks, they had been planning it since last week and they wouldn't shut up about it since it was apparently going to be, the party of the century. Kurt sighed, he had no intentions in going since the only who who'd probably want him there was Britanny, and he was quite convinced Austin wasn't going either. "I'm not sure yet," it wasn't really a lie, since he wasn't sure yet but he'd preferably stay at home, reading or playing the piano or something. "Well you have our permission, Finn is going too so maybe you can watch each other." A babysitter was not what he needed at this party, especially not when the babysitter was Finn. And he knew she meant watch him. They were always very protective of Kurt for some reason, he was only 2 years younger than Finn as he was 19 and Kurt 17. After they finished washing, and drying, the dished Kurt excused himself upstairs.

It was still quite warm, especially for in the evening so Kurt threw his window open and went to sit on the window sill. He looked out over the long field, he looked at the tree close to his window. When he was smaller he used to try and climb up the tree and reach for his window, succeeding only a few times. He watched the lake crease every time a bird landed in the water or a fish came up for air.

He was enjoying the quiet and peaceful sight when he saw a man walking up to their front door. The man knocked twice and and couldn't seem to stand still, as if he was in a hurry. Carole opened the door and Kurt tried to listen to what they were saying. "..-still some room next week?" he heard the man asking. "..-one guest next week," Carole confirmed. It was hard to listen to what they were saying but Kurt could make out a few more words. "wounded.. secret.. here?" the man was speaking extra soft and rapidly, it made it even harder to understand. Carole gasped, it almost made Kurt lose his balance. "Sure," she muttered, but sounding a little bit shocker or worried perhaps? "Thank you ma'am," it sounded relieved but still a little worried. He turned around, thanking her again and wishing her a good evening. He sprinted back to his horse and rode of in the darkness. Kurt raised his eyebrow, well that was.. strange.

The next morning Kurt walked down to see Carole talking to Burt, both looking a bit apprehensive. They hadn't noticed him yet so he quickly, tip-toed back into the hall, making sure he was within hearing distance. "And they asked me if he could stay here, I know it's dangerous but he had nowhere else to go and-" Burt caught her off, "No, it's good that you gave them permission it's just that.. well it's dangerous." Burt said thoughtfully. " " Not only for him, also for us," he said, looking at Carole. "I know," she sighed.

Kurt was beginning to feel worried, he had no idea what they were talking about but it didn't exactly sound joyful. He silently walked back up the stairs and made sure to make enough noise coming down so they  _would_  notice him. Carole was now sitting on one of the chairs at the table, Burt still standing. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked, faking as if he had just noticed the ambiance in the kitchen. Carole looked over at Burt, as if to ask permission to tell him, he nodded.

"Kurt, sit down kid," his father said. Kurt still had no idea what this was about and yes, he had been a little worried but why were acting this mysterious? His dad went to sit in front of him, Kurt looked up, expectantly. "Well, last night a man came at the door and, well he asked us to do him and someone else a favor." Kurt was even more confused now, so there was something they had to do, but it was dangerous?

"You know there's a war going on not far from here, right?" Burt asked. Kurt bit his lower lip, the anxious feeling in his stomach growing. They had discussed the war at school a lot lately, "Yes". Was Western suddenly also in war? Was Burt asked to fight with them? Suddenly his limbs felt numb.. did he and Finn need to go too?

Burt guessed what he was thinking and quickly reassured him that no, Western was not in war, Kurt sighed in relief. "But.." he continued, and Kurt felt his nerves rise again. "He asked us if we could take in an injured refugee. He said the guy was captured while spying on the enemy, he was put in the prisoner of war camp but managed to escape. He's got some really bad injuries but he needs to rest before he can go back. So we are hiding him here until he's recovered."

Kurt didn't need to ask why that was dangerous, he knew it was dangerous because they were helping out a refugee. "Can't he go somewhere else?" Kurt asked, it was the first thing that came to mind. "Kurt, this is the only place that takes in strangers, plus we're one of the few places that aren't involved in the war right now." Kurt huffed in annoyance, "so we're risking our lives, to help someone recover, who is going to get himself killed when he goes back to fighting in the war anyway?"

"Kurt.. it's.. it's complicated," his father said. "O.. kay?" this was a really stupid idea, Kurt thought. "But you have to promise us you won't tell anyone, especially not at school." Kurt almost snorted at that, yeah right, as if anyone at school would even listen to him talk. Britanny wouldn't understand anyway and Austin didn't go to school, so that was easy.

At that moment a sleepy Finn came walking downstairs, rubbing his eyes in the hope of keeping them open. He didn't even notice the tense air and continued to walk towards the table, were a small buffet was set out. He paused mid-air in his movements as he saw everyone looking at him, "what?" he asked, his eyes wide. Kurt sighed, it was typically Finn to not notice things like that. "Finn, we need to talk to you about something," Burt informed him, trying not to alarm Finn by talking in a neutral tone. Finn looked up at them, Kurt was already going back upstairs as he didn't want to hear the story again.

Around the same time next week they all sat downstairs, -well minus Finn who was playing football outside with some friends of school-, waiting in the living room. Another man had come to inform them about the date and time the soldier would arrive. He would arrive in the morning, to keep a low profile and he was taken there by carriage. Kurt still didn't like the fact that a strange man was about to put all of their lives in danger. He thought about what they'd do to Burt or even worse to Carole, if they ever found out. He really didn't like him already, coming into their lives and ruining everything. What kind of person would do that?

There was a soft knock on the door, Burt stood up and told Carole and Kurt to wait. They heard two low voices talking, and then the sound of someone groaning. The sound of a shutting door was heard and Carole hastily walked towards the hallway. Kurt heard someone stumble and the sound of wood collecting with the ground. Kurt looked annoyed, not planning on giving this guest any form of a warm welcome. But his face fell the moment they rounded the corner. Carole was walking next to him, supporting him since he wasn't able to stand on his own, his injuries probably provoking him from doing so.

Kurt looked up at this face, planning on giving this terrible stranger one of his darkest glares, but when he looked at the man his glare immediately faded and his jaw dropped a little. This man was absolutely, exceptionally, beautiful.


	2. Chapter 2

**Western war: Chapter 2**

* * *

A man with a walking stick, covered up in bandages and a pale looking face was standing in the door-opening next to Carole. There was a bandage tied around his head, his leg and probably also his side since his shirt was a little bit tighter there. He wasn't very tall, well at least shorter than Kurt.

The stranger had brown, dark-ish, curly hair, his curls occasionally peeking out of his bandage and being draped onto his forehead. When Kurt looked closer up at his face he literally gasped, the stranger had a light stubble on his perfect jaw line, his eyebrows were dark and thick, his lips full, cherry red mixed with a soft tone of orange.

But when he looked up he met the questioning eyes of the beautiful man, he felt a jolt followed by a strange tingling in his stomach. His eyes were a soft brown color, mixed with intense honey gold yet somehow managed to look a little green too. They were without a doubt the most beautiful pair of eyes Kurt had ever seen. Yet also the deepest, most emotion filled ones someone of his age could have..

Kurt looked away quickly when he noticed he was actually staring at him with his mouth open, the man didn't seem to notice though. His tired eyes were still staring curiously towards him.

Then suddenly Kurt was awoken from his thoughts and he realized that this, rather beautiful, man was injured. He rapidly strode of the couch, leaving room for the injured man to sit. He would have spoken if he had dared to do so, luckily Carole smiled at him and moved towards the couch telling the beautiful man to; "please, sit down." It was typically Carole to fuss about everyone. The stranger smiled at her, even though it seemed like it cost him a lot of effort.

"So, since you're gonna be staying with us for a while we have to ask you a few questions and explain our rules." But said, his voice filled with authority.

"Of course, sir." He answered , his voice soft and a little bit hoarse. Kurt refused to look at him again, because even the man's voice was perfect, it was giving him chills. Kurt swallowed audibly, trying to ignore the tingling feeling in his stomach, which was still there.

"So, what's your name, kid?" Burt asked. It was typically Burt to call someone that, even though he was clearly older than 20.

"Blaine Anderson, sir." He answered. Kurt cursed under his breath, even his name seemed to match his level of perfectness.

"You can call me Burt, and your age would be?"

"I am 23, sir. Born in September, 1808" Blaine answered, still sounding weak. His facial expression fell for a few seconds, betraying that he was trying to hide that he was definitely in pain. Kurt looked away, not sure if it was okay to feel sorry for this man.

Carole, also noticing it, rushed off to the kitchen, probably getting some painkillers*.

"Where are you from?" Burt asked, not paying much attention to Carole.

"Maryville, it's not too far from here." He seemed to wince at something but again tried not to show it. Kurt, who had given up again on trying not look, saw it though; he hoped Carole would hurry up with the medicine.

"Okay, well there are just a few simple rules around here. We don't want any stuff lying around the house that belongs to you, we eat dinner together, breakfast and lunch are optional. But given your situation I'd take you don't have much of a choice, well at least not for now. Also, I don't want you to get into fights with other guests or either one of my two sons, understood?"

"Yes, sir" Blaine nodded.

"Okay, I'm glad we agree" Burt said. His face turned friendlier. "Your room is the last one down the corridor to the right, not the left one, since you didn't have much stuff you can use ours until you're strong enough to buy something on your own. Don't go anywhere out of the village, we don't want you to be found or seen." Blaine nodded, he was looking rather hazy by now. At that moment Carole came walking in with a glass of water and some painkillers. Thank god, Kurt thought.

"Here, take these and have some rest," she handed him the medicine and the glass.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you. This is all very kind of you, letting me stay here and hide at these dark times. If there is ever something I can do to return the.." He stopped talking, silence was followed by a disturbing cough and Blaine sunk further back into the couch.

Burt had to go to his work so he wouldn't seem suspicious, so he quickly instructed Carole of what to do, how to take care of the man and what to get in the village without being obvious about it.

Kurt tried to ignore the fact that he was now,  _alone_  in the same room with this beautiful man and tried to keep his eyes focused on the door where Carole and Burt had just left through. It didn't help a single thing though, the heat in the air was almost just touchable.

Luckily Carole came walking back, before it got too awkward, she seemed a little worried and she kept looking doubtfully in the direction of the hallway. "Do you think you can make up the stairs?" Blaine, who was looking paler and sicker with the second, nodded, looking determined.

Carole looked around, "Kurt can you help me getting him up the stairs?" Kurt felt a blush creeping up on his cheeks so he quickly ducked his head down, "sure" he said softly. He walked over towards Blaine, "umm.." He had no idea how he could possibly help him without hurting him, Blaine seemed to have wounds and bruises practically everywhere.

Blaine awkwardly stood up, leaning on the wooden walking stick. It seemed so precious in his hand, as if it was so much more than just a simple stick, which was ridiculous of course. Carole was at his side before Blaine could even move further. Kurt took the careful approach, stepping closer to Blaine so that he could put his arm around Kurt's shoulder if he wanted to.

As soon as he did, and Kurt felt Blaine's touch he nearly dropped Blaine. He could feel the warm pressure of Blaine's body, his heavy arm being draped over Kurt's delicate shoulders and the smell was just overwhelming. It wasn't that he was too heavy, it was just that, for some twisted reason, the feeling in his stomach got ten, maybe a hundred times stronger and he felt his skin tingle where Blaine's arm rested on his shoulders. It was totally ridiculous; he didn't even know this guy! Plus it wasn't even their bare skin was touching, but he still felt it, more than he liked it. He awkwardly cleared his throat when he noticed they hadn't moved yet.

Kurt tried moved them, maybe a little bit too rapid because Blaine flinched and Kurt, turning as red as a tomato, quickly muttered an apology. They uneasily moved up the stairs and down the corridor, their sides occasionally touching causing Kurt's stomach to twist. It were by far the most awkward minutes of Kurt's life, and that was saying something.

When they reached the room they carefully put Blaine down on the chair, Kurt stepping far away from him once he was safe. The chair stood next to the unmade bed, Carole looked at it with a small expression of shame. "Oh, I totally forgot to make the bed, sweetie could you please do that for me? I need to get dinner ready and I have to get some things at the village shops". Kurt sighed, "of course," he smiled at her.

He wasn't going to tell her that he actually, no, he didn't want to. Blaine was still sitting on the chair, eyes roaming the room curiously and Kurt did not trust himself with Blaine in the same room. He couldn't blame poor Carole though, it had been so busy already, plus Blaine wasn't exactly bringing safety with him.

Carole left the room with a smile and a thank you. Kurt immediately felt the awkward ambiance, which most probably only existed in his head.

He had no idea of what to say so he just walked over the white dresser, where the bed sheets were and started making the bed. He could literally feel this man's curious eyes on his back. It made him so uneasy that he tripped a few times, almost landing in Blaine's lap during of his falls.

Finally the silence was interrupted; it was Blaine who spoke first. "I'm sorry, I wish I could help."

Kurt had a strong sense to look at Blaine in either awe or disbelief. He was so polite, even while it was obvious that he was in a lot of pain. Kurt wasn't sure if people could actually be so good looking and nice, so he went with disbelief.

"Uhmm.. that's okay. Your bed is ready, towels are in the dresser over there so I don't know if you need anything else?.." It was supposed to sound nonchalant and helpful but because of his nerves blunt and awkward was more the way to describe how he had just sounded. Not to mention the fact that his voice went three octaves higher than normal.

A small smile appeared on Blaine's lips and Kurt was once again torn between awe and disbelief. "Thank you, I don't think I need anything else. Although.." Kurt didn't know why his heart just started beating faster. "Could you maybe help me onto the bed, I am quite tired and I don't think my legs are stable enough after the strong medicine.

Kurt froze, well his mind did, his body was actually working on its own and had already walked over to Blaine. He could see that Blaine was getting tired and drowsy from the medicine, his eyes just somehow managed to display that.

He reached closer to Blaine, trying hard to ignore the overwhelming feeling he got from being so close to this man. This time the heat of his body was even worse, since they were alone now. Once Blaine was on the bed Kurt immediately pulled back and took a few, brain clearing, breaths.

He wondered if he should go back to his room. Would Blaine ask him to help him with his clothes? He didn't look like he could dress (or undress) himself properly but there was no way Kurt could manage that situation.

Kurt turned red at his own thoughts, but there was no need to turn away because Blaine was already breathing more slowly and his eyes were closed. Kurt tiptoed out of the room, turning around before closing the door and taking in the sheer beauty of the sleeping man on one of the often occupied bed.

He walked towards his own room and didn't hesitate to let himself fall onto his bed. What had just happened? Was this even real? Kurt knew one thing, it wasn't okay to feel this way about some man he had just met. It probably wasn't even okay to feel this way about someone at all..

Kurt woke up feeling blurry, there were vague flashes of his dream. A beautiful beam of light kept appearing, never leaving Kurt no matter where he went. It felt warm and trusted, but he had no idea what it was.

"Kurt, dinner!" Carole's voice was heard from the kitchen. Kurt went downstairs only to find someone sitting in his usual chair. "Excuse me but I thought we had an arrangement? Family on one side of the table and guests on the other."

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know that" an angelic voice came from the chair Kurt's yelling had been angled at. Kurt froze. "Now Kurt that's not very nice of you," Carole sounded a bit worried, giving Burt a not-amused glare when he chuckled.

In the meantime the guest had, with difficulty, turned around and looked at Kurt with slight apologetic eyes. Kurt who was still frozen now felt his face flush bright red, he had kind of forgotten that their guest was, well... Blaine.

Dinner went by slow and awkward for Kurt, even after he had received a smile from Blaine, because that had only made things worse since he flushed red again.

Kurt helped Carole with cleaning up the table and washing the dishes while Burt and Finn helped Blaine move to the second living room. The room wasn't too big but it was a comfortable looking room. It had a small fireplace, a soft couch, two big chairs and a shelf with some books on it. The dust on the books indicated how much they were being used by guests. What stood out the most, well to Kurt anyway, was the old wooden piano standing in the corner. It had been a gift to them from one of their returning guests, who had become more of a friend later on.

There was only one person in the house who knew how to play the piano, and that was Kurt himself. His mother had taught him before her sudden and tragic death. He never played it when there was anyone around though, he was too scared it might upset his father. Even though he had the luck of having sweet and caring Carole in his life, who he truly loved, Kurt knew he would never forget Kurt's mother either.

The rest of the evening went by as usual. Kurt went up to his room to read and Finn practiced some more football outside. Carole was there to take care of Blaine so Kurt pretended that there was no strange yet beautifully mysterious man in his home.

The rest of the week went by pretty normal as well, since Kurt and Finn had to go to school. Kurt felt somewhat relieved when he was away from Blaine, but also felt somewhat stupid that this stranger seemed to have such an impact on his life. Every night at dinner Kurt tried to avoid his curious eyes, but secretly looking too when he knew Blaine was busy talking to Burt about technology, for example the Pyréolophore was a popular subject among the two.

It all became more of a rhythm and seemed to be all right until the end of the week. Because that Thursday something happened that surprised most of the people at the house, except one..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it, is Blaine really that dashing? As for the * in the story, painkillers weren't invented until 1832 but I thought poor Blaine deserved some. Let me know what your thoughts are :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Western War: Chapter** **3**

* * *

It was another sunny day in Western, just like any other. The sun creating a blurry landscape of sand, bugs were buzzing loudly and even the birds seemed too hot and bothered to chirp. Not one single detail seemed different today, except there was.

People rushing towards the door, trying to help each other but instead blocking the way. It had all happened so fast. News had arrived in the house, Burt who went home to pick up his lunch had not returned to his (second) job. Every Thursday and Friday he would work at the train station, to earn a little extra money. Carole, who was busy with the laundry responded to Burt's call. Soldier Blaine Anderson went still, noticing the panic throughout the house.

In the doorway stood a somewhat puzzled boy. In his arms lay an unconscious younger looking boy.

"Kurt!" : Burt shouted, worriedly.

Somewhere upstairs in the house a man turned his head, his expression confused.

The boy who stood in the doorway, carrying the limp body was Finn, looking a bit paler than usual. He handed Kurt's unconscious body to Burt, silence fell throughout the house. Behind Finn another boy came walking in, it was Kurt's best friend Austin, he too was looking paler than usual.

"He's unconscious but still breathing, we checked, " Austin said a little out of breath.

Carole rushed towards Finn, while Burt carefully put Kurt's body on the couch, making sure he was settled on his side. Soft dragging footsteps were heard above them.

"What happened?" Carole tried to stay calm but there was obvious concern layered in her voice. Finn looked at his mother with doubt, unsure how to respond.

It was Austin who spoke first. "He got in an argument, Mrs. Carole." Carole looked over at Kurt, who hadn't moved one bit.

"With one of the other students?"

"Well, there were a few actually," Finn added. Carole's face fell as she looked from Kurt to her son.

"Is your son okay?" A weak voice called from the stairs. They all turned around, not expecting Blaine to be out of bed, especially not on his own. Austin looking confused, obviously asking himself who the stranger was, but when he looked at Finn with questioning eyes, he received an inaudible 'no'.

Blaine was also surprised to find another boy in the room. But, at this moment, it did not seem very important.

"These terrible kids at school did this to him. They usually choose to ignore him but why not today?" It wasn't clear if she was talking to everyone in the room, or to herself.

"They only said something about him daydreaming and drawing hearts, but that people like him weren't allowed to.." Austin said, still sounding a bit shocked. "It isn't fair, they only hate him because he's.." Austin paused for a second, looking at Blaine who was still standing halfway down the stairs. "..different".

Carole was busy getting some disinfectant for Kurt's open wounds and Burt made sure Kurt was lying steady on the couch.

"For now, it's just important that we make sure he keeps breathing, okay?" Carole said to all the people in the room.

"When did you last see him with his eyes open?" Burt asked, looking at Finn.

"Uhh, he was still with us when we picked him up, but he suddenly stopped groaning and his eyes closed short after."

"Maybe we should just let him rest for now then", Carole said. "If you could go to the market place for me, I will stay here and watch him."

"I know I cannot do much, given the state that I'm in. But if you think of anything that I would be able to do, be sure to let me know madam." All heads turned in the direction of the staircase.

"Thank you Blaine, that is very kind of you", Carole replied.

Carole was in the kitchen, while Burt and Finn made their way to the market place. Blaine had volunteered to watch Kurt so that Carole could clean the house, since they had a new guest arriving tomorrow.

This was the first time that Blaine actually found himself alone with this boy. He had been in the house for a few days now and was still astonished by their hospitality. They had taken him in and cared for him, even though he was putting them all in danger. So it felt good to be able to do something back.

He looked at the bruises and cuts on Kurt's face, it was obvious to him that they had outnumbered him. Blaine wondered why they hated him, that other boy had said something about being different? But different how? He didn't understand why, but he suddenly felt angry. So what if he was different? This boy was probably a better person than any of those bullies could ever be!

He looked at the torn clothing and the injuries on his face and arms, which only made him angrier. It was probably from seeing so many wounded soldiers, neither of them deserved to be injured. Why was the world so full of violence?

Even though Blaine had been a soldier for several years now, he still did not understand why it was necessary to fight. It seemed somewhat childish to him, letting people fight for you because you don't get what you want. It wasn't fair that his village was attacked because someone wanted more power, nor was it fair that so many innocent people were dying.

The pain in his leg was getting worse, sitting in the same position for this long wasn't exactly good for his body. Carole told him that he didn't have to watch Kurt the whole time, but he insisted. Even after Burt and Finn had returned, Blaine was still there, watching Kurt. Blaine's thoughts occasionally wandered off, but his eyes never left the sight of the still unconscious Kurt.

He joined the Hummels for dinner, but the food did not satisfy him today. The uneasy feeling in his stomach kept him from enjoying the tasty meal, but the annoyance was worse. Why did he feel this way? Did he feel guilty because the son of his amazingly kind hosts got beaten up?

Dinner went by slowly and awkwardly, because no one knew what to talk about.

Suddenly there was cough coming from the living room, followed by the sound of someone cursing and an 'ouch'. Everyone at the dinner table left their plates and rushed towards the sounds. Blaine slowly stumbled after them, hoping to see the sight of a healthy and awake young boy.

Carole was the first to reach him.

"Honey, are you feeling?". Burt and Finn stood around the couch, Carole sat on her knees looking at Kurt. Blaine was standing in the back of the living room, trying not to interrupt the family moment but wanting to make sure Kurt was actually okay.

"Well I'm pretty sure they damaged everything, including my hair.." Kurt muttered. This earned a small chuckle from both Carole and Burt, sounding a bit more relieved.

Kurt shifted to look at Finn, "thanks big brother, I might not remember everything but thanks for not letting them finish me."

Finn awkwardly smiled. "You know I would never let them do that."

"You might want to thank Blaine too, honey. He watched over you the entire time you were unconscious," Carole said thankful.

Both Kurt and Blaine turned red at the same time, but only one of them was able to control it before they looked at each other.

"You did?" Kurt asked, a bit baffled by this.

"Yeah, I thought this was a way I could help. I thought you might be, uh, a bit confused when you woke up." Blaine came a bit closer to the family standing around Kurt.

"Oh," Kurt would have used sarcasm, or at least send him a suspicious glare but there was nothing. Only surprise.

"But, honey, if there is anything I can do for you, just tell me okay?" Carole said gently.

It took him a few seconds to respond, "thank you Carole".

Carole went into the kitchen to make Kurt some food. Burt helped Kurt sit up a little by handing him another pillow. After that he started talking to Finn with an angry tone in his voice, directed to the bullies.

Kurt took this moment to look at Blaine again, he could tell that he wasn't the only one who was in pain. He looked at his own body, groaning at the sight of his torn clothes and bruises. He could feel a pair of eyes on him, he knew they belonged to Blaine.

"Thank you," Kurt began. "You should rest too, though. After all you're the wounded soldier," he had no idea why he just pointed that out.

Blaine smiled lightly, "You're welcome."

Blaine thought that seeing Kurt awake and well, or at least not unconsious, would have made him feel a lot better. But it didn't. The bruises, cuts and torn clothes were still there. Reminding everyone in the house of what had happened.

When Kurt was finally able to sit up without feeling too much pain, Carole brought him some dinner on the couch. Blaine pretended to be reading a book in the corner of the room, but his attention was nowhere near the stained pages.

This night both, Kurt and Blaine were helped up the stairs by Burt and Finn and both received some medicine for the pain.

Kurt was laying still in bed, his mind replaying the horrow show that had occured. Yet after a while, his thoughts wondered of to a much more happy, yet much more confusing thing: Blaine. The thought of Blaine watching over him made him feel both uneasy and very touched.

They came for him again, five or six tall guys cornered him. A punch to the face, then the gut and then punching became kicking and kicking became throwing him around. Why was everyone else just standing there? Why weren't they helping him?

By now he was actually tied up and they started carrying him away, he saw the yellowing grass underneath them and they were approaching a long line of trees. Wait, was that the river? Kurt started yelling "No, let me go!" but it only made the bullies laugh. He tried to kick them, tried to make them drop him. But for some reason none of them seemed bothered by his attempts, he didn't even seem to be hitting them..

"NO! Please" He was crying by this time, he really didn't want to, but he felt so powerless. "NO," he cried out again. He could feel the water touching him, soaking through his clothes. "I'm drowning," he tried to tell them. "Help me, I'm going to drown!" And it wasn't the terror or the crying that woke him, but it was the thought of letting go, giving up and just letting them kill him.. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and he was drenching in sweat.

Kurt jumped out of his bed, he just had to get out of there. The space was too small and the bed too wet. He stepped out of his room and into the hall, trying to stop the tears from falling. It didn't make any sense, he knew he was safe. But for some reason he could not stop crying. The walls around him were closing in and he just felt nauseous and suffocated. He started walking faster and he would have been running if he hadn't just hit an extremely hard object. Kurt fell to the ground and yelped.

"I'm sorry," an angelic male voice blurted out. A candle on the wall was lit which illuminated a hand, stretched out to help him up. Kurt froze, it was like he was paralyzed. "Are you okay?" the same voice added.

Kurt wiped away his tears as soon as his arm allowed him to. "Yeah, I'm okay." He sounded weak and not okay at all. "Here, let me help you up." Kurt felt a strong and secure hand close around his own. He tried to focus on getting up, because even though the hand was so strong.. it made his knees feel incredibly weak. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall over he dared to speak.

"Thank you, I-" but he couldn't say more, because the hand that had just helped him up still held his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

He felt the tears well up again, he bit his lip and tried to look away from the face that was only a few feet away. A small glimpse revealed the man's concerned expression.

And he started to cry, the simple gestures were just that, simple. But he had not felt like this in a long time and it was overwhelming and scary at the same time. He should feel so stupid, so awkward and annoyed with himself but there was something about Blaine that stopped him from caring.

"Hey, it's okay." The beautiful honey-brown eyes moved up from their hands to Kurt's face.

It was the first time their eyes locked this intensely and it was nothing like Kurt ever expected. He had read the love stories, he knew what these moments were supposed to feel like except it didn't even come close. It was as if he could  _feel_  the compassion, the warmth and care from this stranger. It made him feel dizzy and there was nothing he could do but look back, the tears still streaming down his cheeks without even realizing it.

The stranger studied the blue, teary eyes. They were looking at him with such confusion and gratitude. For a moment time appeared to be standing still. It was just them, standing there in the hallway, eyes locked with just the sound of the younger boy's sobs.

Both hearts started beating faster when the soldier lifted his other hand to dry Kurt's cheeks. He rested his hand on the incredibly soft and rosy cheek, the touch felt so warm and sensational. Both of them pulled away quickly, looking flustered after they realized what had happened.

"But honestly, are you okay?" Blaine said after a short awkward silence.

"It's nothing, just.. nightmares." Kurt said, feeling somewhat silly as he admitted it but knew it was more than that.

Blaine tilted his head in question, hoping to get more truth out of this boy. For some reason Kurt had become fascinating to him. But he decided that he didn't want to pry, "well if you ever need to talk to someone, you know where to find me". He added a soft smile and saw Kurt's eyes widen just a little bit, which made him smile more.

"Thank you." Kurt couldn't help but smile back, just because Blaine's smile seemed so sincere.

"Not a problem, goodnight Kurt." And with that Blaine walked back into his room, closing the door behind him but not before giving Kurt one last smile.

Kurt yawned and decided to go back to bed too, his head was still a little dizzy. Had that actually happened? He didn't think it was possible but he felt calm and his fear seemed to be far, far away.

Maybe it wasn't so bad that Blaine knew he was gay after all, Kurt thought to himself.

He too went back to bed and slept soundly for the remainder of the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this and bearing with me!
> 
> Special thanks to Xander from thebetaservice (which you can find on Tumblr) for helping me with some errors and inspiration :)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that sound familiar to you, those are owned by FOX and the creators of Glee 
> 
> Warning: Some of these things are based on reality, I try to stay true to the history as best as I can but I've edited some things to my liking. So if you're like; this isn't historically right! You probably have a point, but I did it on purpose. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this anyway :)


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